29 March 2014

Managing Change & Being Flexible in Life

An article with the following quote as
caption atEconomic TimesAscent made me to think and write on an
interesting topic, "Managing Change & Being Flexible in Life".

"The great thing about human beings is that they
can change. If you can get up every day, stay optimistic, and believe the
future is better than the past, those few things get you through a lot "- Jeff Immelt, CEO, GE

Our days are filled with commitment towards profession, family, friends,social activitiesetc. So the point is we need to be very flexible and responsive to the
changes that are happening in our day to day life.

Flexibility means being able to respond to change and deal with it. It's a
trait any of us can learn and it's one that is critical to our success in
managing any type of change. Yet being flexible isn't easy.We have to work at
and practice flexibility daily. We have to choose daily to remain adaptable.
Below are some ways I think we can remain flexible.

Top Ten Ways to Remain Flexible:

1) Accept the change:Normally when we're
required to be flexible it's because something has changed that we didn't plan
for. Accepting the change, whether it's good or bad, is thefirst steptowards remaining flexible.

2) Access needed support:When we're going
throughchanges in lifeor at work - we need support. The
better we are at accessing support, the better we'll be at remaining flexible.

3) Maintain perspective:Maintain a positive
perspective no matter what the situation. There's always something good that
can come out of every change - be willing to look for it.

4) Be realistic:Set your expectations realistically.
When dealing with changes you may have to lower your expectations of yourself
for a time.

5) Prioritize:Do only that which needs to be done. It
will all get done eventually but duringmajor changes- focus only what is critical.

6) Let go:You can not control every thing in
life. Letting go of what you can not control will make managing change much
easier.

7) Be quiet:During change lie is often chaotic.
Take time away from work orfamily lifeto just be quiet. Solutions and
creative ideas for managing change often come in quiet moments.
8) Know that it will pass:Tough times and
stressful times happen but they do not last forever. Realize the change you are
going through is just a season and it will pass.

9) Sleep, Eat and Take Care of Yourself:Focus on the basics during times of change. Change often brings stress
and the best way todeal with stressis to make sure you are taking good
care of yourself. Remember whining is not a solution :)

10) Find Humor:There is humor in all of life - the
good, the bad and the ugly. believe me - It makes a lot of difference guys :)